totter

[ tot-er ]
See synonyms for: tottertottering on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)
  1. to walk or go with faltering, unsteady steps: She tottered down the street in high heels, desperately fighting to stay vertical.

  2. to sway or rock on the base or ground, as if about to fall: The tower seemed to totter in the wind.

  1. to shake or tremble: a load that tottered.

  2. to lack security or stability; threaten to collapse: The government was tottering.

noun
  1. the act of tottering; an unsteady movement or gait.

Origin of totter

1
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English toteren “to swing”; origin uncertain

synonym study For totter

1. See stagger.

Other words for totter

Other words from totter

  • tot·ter·er, noun

Words Nearby totter

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use totter in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for totter

totter

/ (ˈtɒtə) /


verb(intr)
  1. to walk or move in an unsteady manner, as from old age

  2. to sway or shake as if about to fall

  1. to be failing, unstable, or precarious

noun
  1. the act or an instance of tottering

Origin of totter

1
C12: perhaps from Old English tealtrian to waver, and Middle Dutch touteren to stagger

Derived forms of totter

  • totterer, noun
  • tottering, adjective
  • totteringly, adverb
  • tottery, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012